Process of treating battery-plates.



.G.'H. RABBNALT. PROCESS 0T TRBATING BATTERY PLATES.

APPLIGATION FILED FEBJS, 1913.

Patented July 21, 1914.

@muni-hu WITNESSE'S llWE/TU? TTOBA'EYS UNTTED sTaTns PATENT OFFICE,

eusTAv H. RABRNALT, or BUFFALO, NEW YORK, AssIGNOR To GOULD sToRAGf'RI BATTERY COMPANY, A CORPORATION OR NEW YORK.

PROCESS OF TREATING BATTERY-PLATES.

To all whom it may concern .Be it known that I, GUs'rAv H. RABENALT,

'a citizen of the United of Buffalo, 'county of Erie, e York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Processes of Treating Battery-Plate's, of whichl the following is a specification;

States, and a resident l* My invention relates` to processes of treating battery plates' and more especially processes of iii-creasing the active surface of pasted storage battery plates.

breaking away 'will more clearly appear ,description given below. f

One object of in y invention is to provide `a process. by which a die may be caused to 'increase the surface area of the active inater'ial and the die withdrawn without thipaste sticking thereto or the die pulling .or the paste to any material' extent. I

Further Objects, features and advantages from the detailed In carrying outjiuy processin one form, I'apply a die with a rough face to the surfaceof the paste of the plate -to increase the active surface thereof, and while the die is still engaged with the paste andl beforeit is removed therefrom, I" cause a redgentY or other means to act upon the surface of the paste to set or hardenthe saine so that when the die is removed `the paste will not stick jto the die.. Preferably the disais made p`o- "rous and sulfuric acid `pores of lthe die y from the plate, the sulfuric acid actingv is passed through the before the chemically upon the lead Oxid of the paste at the surface to set or Vharden thesame.

" following description of process.

p vention in its broader aspects. 'Fig'. 2 is a.

section through an different heights.

apparatus illustrating my inventionin a more improved form, and F ig. 3 shows in perspective a portion of the two dies with the intermediate plate of Fig.v

Q, the dies and plate beinglbroken away at -l "f- Referring to Fig. 1,1' represents a shallow dish made of any suitable material for liolding sulfuricac'id. 2 represents a second 'dish Specification of Letters Patent. Application led February 6, 1913. Serial No. 746,484.

and.l State of New' die is removed tively. Each'of the d ies 10 and Patented July 2i, 1914.

also designed to hold sulfuric acid so that its side walls are made of acid-resisting ma.-

terial. Set in the bottom of the dish 2 is a die il constructed of porous material capable (if-substantially resisting attack by sulfuricacid. l iind that a material known as alunduin is suitable for this purpose, andr although I have used Wood, any other porouel material which is not too readily` at tacked-bythe reagent used in the dish 2 may be used. The lower face of the die 3 is roughcned as by having a series of small grooves extending tliereovei'.

In operation a battery plate (for instance, one composed of a Igrid-.having strengthening ribs and intermediate conductors 5 of inactiveniateri'al which carry and support the lead `oxid paste (i) is laid on the bottom 'of the.v dish l. Thereupon the dish 2 containing sulfuric acid is placed upon the battery plate and the die 3 forced into the top face ofthe paste of thefplate so as to increase the surface of the pastev to increase the active area. thereof. While the die remains thus pressed into the paste and even as it is being pressed into the'pastethe sulfuric acid perineatesthrough the pores of the die and attacks the paste, forming sulfate whichcauses the surface of the paste to harden or set so that after about a minute the dish 2 with its die 3 may be removed Without any danger of it pulling any of' the paste with it. rlhe other side of the battery plate may then he treated in the saine manner.

Referring to Figs. 2 Vand 3, I there illus- -trate an improved arrangement. ,The base 7 is adapted to support two containers 8 and 9, each being lead lined as atv 30' so as to be resistant lo sulfuric acid. Each of the containers is open'on one side and these open portions are closed by dies l() and l1 respec- 11 is made of porous material adapted to resist cheini- Acal attack b v the contents ofthe containers,

as already descrihei'lin connection .with the die 23. Il'aeh die 10 and 1l 'is also roughadapted to loe moved toward the container 8 bv means of a screw 13', and hand wheel 14;

'djustably carried upon two upright standards 15' and 16, as by set screws 17, are

two platforms 18 and 19. `These platforms lervoir 2() acts as means are adapted to carry large glass reservoirs 2() and 2l respectively. Ilach reservoir is provided with an outlet in its bottom, each having' a stop cock' 2f?. vFach outlet 22 is connected to one of tte containers by a flexible rub-hei: conduif`y so that theres- Vor supplying the pastesettin;Y reagent to the container 8 and the reserwir 2l supplies it to the container 9.

In operation a pasted battery plate for instance, one composed of a grid having strengthening ribs 4 and paste G) 'is placed fiat against the die l0. The container 9 With its die ll is then n'ioved toward the opposite side of the battery plate by means of the screw 13, so that both dies l() and 1l are simultaneously forced into the opposite faces of the pasted plate to increase the area of thekactive surface thereof. Simultaneously with this, or before the dies have been removed from engagement with the paste the cocks Q3 are opened, permitting' the sulfuric acid in the containers 8 and 9 to pass through the pores of the dies under the head of pressure of the sulfuric acid in the reservoirs Q0 and '21, so that the acid acts on the paste to set or harden both sides thereof at the same time by the formation of sulfate, Whereb y the dies may be removed in about a minute Without danger of pulling the paste away with them. 'I he cocks 23 being again closed little or no further acid will pass through the dies due to atmos-` pheric back pressure. This sulfating action is 'preferably only allowed to act on the paste for a slight depth, it being found that aftery one or two minutes the setting has become sufficiently deep so that the dies may be removed. In this state the surface of the paste is firm or hard, With respect to the paste farther away from the surface. The amount of or rate of acid flowing through the dies may be regulated by chang-I ing the pressure head by adjusting `the height of one orboth of the reservoirs 2O and 21, each being adjusted to operate under a different pressure if desired, to compensate for differences in permeability of the porous dies. After this surface treatment y sulfating and increasing the effective area of the plate which takes place before electrolysis of the plate in the cell, the paste may ,be subjected to any further treatment the particular p ste composition may require. Any othe suitabler reagent or means may be used for.l setting the surface of the paste so that the paste will not stick to the dies' when they 'are removed,but it is importantto my invention in its best form that the'setting action occur While the die isl still engaged Withthe p ste. Thecontainers 20 and' 21, or Vdish 2 actas efficient and simple means for' supplying the setting reagent to the dies, and cause it to pass through the pores thereof, and the dies being porous they form a simple and efficient meansy for conveying' the reagent to the paste 'before the dies are removed, although other means may be used for this purpose if the setting action occurs While the dies are still engaged with the paste.

While I have described my improvements in great detail and with respect to certain particular embodiments thereof, I do not desire to be limited to such details except as clearly specified in the appended claims, since radi- I cal changes and modications may Well be made Without departing from the spirit and scope of my invention in its broader aspects.

Having fully and clearly described my improvements, what I claim as new and desaid surface with a reagent to set said surface while the die is applied thereto and bel fore the die is removed.

3. The improved process of increasing the active surface of pasted battery plates which consists in applying an irregular faced die to the surface of the paste and treating the y said surface With sulfuric acid to set said surface before the die is removed.

1l. The improved process of increasing the active area of pasted battery plates which consists in applying a die to the surface of the paste to increase the active area thereof an'dtreating the surface with a reagent to form a sulfate at said surface to cause said surface to set While the die is applied thereto and; before the die is remove 5. The improved prdcess of increasing the active area of pasted battery plates which consists in applying a die to the surface of the paste While soft and simultaneously treating the surface with a reagent to set the paste to make it firm.

AG. The improved process of increasing the activev surface of pasted battery plates, which consists in applying an irregular faced die to the surface of the paste and treating the surface With sulfuric acid to set the surface to make it firm before the plate is subjected to electrolysis.

7. The improved process of increasing the active area of the surface of storage battery platos, which consists in simultaneously applying irregular faced dies to the pasted surfaces on opposite sides of the plate to increase the active area thereof and treating the said surfaces with a reagent to set said surfaces before the lies are removed. 8. The improved process of increasing the active area of pasted battery plates, which -consists in simultaneously applying a die to the surface and treating the surface with a sulfatng reagent to set the surface.

. In testimony `whereof, I have signed my D. W. NOBLE,

FRED. C. GEYER. 

